Passover Ideas from Jamie Geller, Author of The Joy of Kosher

Jamie Geller wasn’t always kosher. She adopted the Jewish observance in her mid-twenties, when she married her husband and joined his family in celebrating traditional meals with multi-course kosher dinners. Since then, she’s written cookbooks, created magazines and even founded the Kosher Media Network to show how easy and delicious kosher food can be.

In honor of the beginning of Passover next week, we asked Jamie to share some favorite holiday recipes from her book The Joy of Kosher, along with a few creative matzo ideas. Read on to get inspired for your own seder.

Raw Root Vegetable Salad

1⁄4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon Passover soy sauce

2 teaspoons honey

Grated zest and juice of 1 lime

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger or 1 pinch of ground

1 carrot, peeled

1 fennel bulb, trimmed

3 radishes, trimmed

1 medium golden beet, peeled

1 medium red beet, peeled

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped hazelnuts

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped pistachios

Freshly ground black pepper

Prepare the dressing: Whisk together the oil, soy sauce, honey, lime zest and juice, and ginger in a large bowl. Transfer 2 tablespoons of the dressing to a small bowl and set both bowls aside.

Thinly slice the carrot, fennel, radishes, and golden beet on a mandoline. Transfer to the large bowl and toss with the dressing. Thinly slice the red beet on the mandoline and toss with the dressing in the small bowl.

Arrange the red beet slices on a platter or divide them among plates. Top with the remaining vegetables. Sprinkle with the chopped nuts and pepper to taste and serve.

Time-Saver/Variation: For a beautiful swap, try candy-striped beets. If you don’t want to start fussing with a mandoline, this dressing is great on cabbage. Just grab a large bag of coleslaw, toss with the dressing to taste, and top with chopped nuts and black pepper before serving.

Moroccan Roasted Chicken

Cooking spray

2 tablespoons honey

1⁄4 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 garlic cloves, chopped

One 31⁄2-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces

2 medium red onions, quartered

1 pound small red-skin potatoes, scrubbed and halved

1 cup dried apricots

1⁄2 cup golden raisins

1⁄2 cup coarsely chopped pistachios

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil; spray the foil with cooking spray.

Mix together the honey, olive oil, turmeric, cinnamon, and garlic in a small bowl. Place the chicken, onions, and potatoes in a large bowl. Toss with three-quarters of the honey mixture and arrange in a single layer on the prepared pan. Toss the apricots and raisins with the remaining honey mixture and set aside.

Bake the chicken, onions, and potatoes for 35 minutes. Add the apricots and raisins and bake until the chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes more. Garnish with the pistachios and cilantro.

Red Hasselback Potatoes

Cooking spray

21⁄2 pounds medium red-skin potatoes (about 8), scrubbed

6 garlic cloves, chopped

1⁄4 cup olive oil

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Place each potato in a large wooden spoon. Thinly slice the potato vertically, about every 1⁄8 inch, being careful not to slice all the way through to the bottom. The shape of the spoon should help prevent it.

Place the potatoes on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the garlic evenly over all the potatoes, and use your fingers to push it into the slits. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Bake until tender and browned, 60 to 70 minutes.

Variation: For the garlic lovers in the crowd, thinly slice the garlic and place it in the potato slits. You can sub in or add chopped shallots to the garlic in this recipe.

Matzo Ideas

Matzo Pizza: Top matzo with caramelized onions, mushrooms, pesto or ricotta, bake in a hot oven, and you have an easy, kosher meal or snack in no time. Try these variations, or customize your own.

Chocolate-Covered Matzos: Since kosher treats can be expensive, Jamie loves these DIY chocolate-covered matzohs. With only three ingredients, they’re sweet and simple.

Matzo Crackers: Jamie likes using matzo in place of crackers for dips and spreads — no recipe required! Try them with this smoked salmon and dill spread.